Rail joint and method



Nov. 19, 1935. 2 w. s. JACKSON 1 Filed July 25, 1954 Npv2l9, 1935. WSJACKSON 2,021,728

RAIL JOINT AND METHOD FiledJu ly 25, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFic 20 Claims.

This invention relates to the formation of rail joints using rails which require cropping.

The main purpose of the invention is to reduce the extent of cropping of the rails when some cropping become advisable.

A further purpose is to provide splice bars which cooperate with cropped rail joints in which a portion only of the splice-bar-worn parts of the ends of the rails have been cropped.

A further purpose is to provide for the use of splice bars of either the same or different cross section as the splice bars previously used but in either event, depending upon the places of previous contact, made capable by the present invention of engaging with surfaces of the .rail which have not previously been worn.

A further purpose is to cut off a part only of the splice-bar-worn end of each rail in cropping the rail, using part of the end of .the rail and returning that portion of the rail erl'd'withm which all but one of the holes is or are located.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

In use of splice bar joints on main railway track the head of the leading or receiving rail becomes battered with long use-of the joint. This is due both to the drop of. the passing locomotive and car wheels within the space between the rail ends in the joint which must be allowed in colder weather so as to allow for expansion and much to the additional drop of the locomotive and car wheels below the general track surface in continued use which is due to degeneration of the joint. This allows a very much greater thrust against the end of the leading as distinguished from the trailing rail than is due to spacing, the amount of thrust being greatly increased with greater looseness of the joint.

It has been the practice when the engaging surface between the splice bars and the rail head and flange respectively have become worn to a point where maintenance of that joint becomes uneconomical, to supply new splice bars giving a new lease of life to the joint. However, except as provided by my Patent No. 1,967,509, the renewed joint made with the new or re-formed splice bars has not lasted nearly as long as the previous joint for the reason that the new splice bars have engaged worn rail surfaces.

After the renewed joint ceased to be economical it has been a very common practice to crop the rails and to discard them from main track service.

Whether the immediate cause of the discarding of the rails has been the inability to secure and maintain good joint conditions or because of the excessive batter of the rail endsusually due in large measure to joint trouble- 5 matters little if it has become necessary to discard the rails.

In some of the better railroads, where the conditions of the old joint give promise of added rail life, a recent practice has grown up of weld- 10.

mg additional metal to take the place of that hammered out by the rail batter so as to finish the ends of the rails in condition simulating that of new rails; but in general practice rails are still cropped on most of the railroads when 15 either (a) excessive rail batter or (b) excessive wear at the head and flange of the railmake maintenance of good joint conditions imprac- .ticable.

In either event, whether from rail batter or 20 from wear of the fishing surfaces engaged by the splice bars, the rails have been cut off to an extent corresponding substantially with the length ofprevious splice. bar engagement with the rail ends. This means ordinarily cutting back, at each end cropped, anywhere from 12 to 18 or 20 inches, cutting oil the entire portion of the end of the rail which was included in the original joint. The distance depends upon the length of splice bar engagement. With a four-bolt joint (i. e. two bolts through each rail end) this means approximately a foot cut at each cropping, whereas with a. six-bolt joint (1. c. three bolts in each rail end) the cut will extend back approximately 18 inches.

The present invention is intended to reduce the length of rail which it is necessary to cut off where cropping has been determined upon so as to save a considerable part of the joint length which it has been customary to cut off. If it 40 be desired to make use of the same bolt holesthis can be done by cutting between bolt holes in such position that the bolt holewhich was originally the second bolt hole comes to the first bolt hole position and for a six-bolt joint the bolt hole which was initially the third bolt hole comes to second bolt hole position. Where the bolt holes were initially uniformly spaced this can be done without change. Where the holes differ initially in spacing this will require, of course, for a six-bolt joint 2. new bolt hole or lateral elongation of one of the remaining holes so as to provide spacing for the bolts corresponding with that between the first and second hole positions. 66

Where the cropping does not contemplate using the original holes little attention need be paid to them and the rail can be cropped to an extent sufficient only to cut out the battered end or to any position which will suit the intended further use of the rail such as, for example,

' providing that this rail, or a predetermined numher of rails, shall fit into a planned length of track.

Whatever the position selected for the cropping, my invention contemplates making the remaining rail end fully effective and usable by securing new joint I, onditions for the remaining portion of the old rail joint; with the purpose and effect that, except for the wear on the top of the rail back of the portion cropped, the conditions of service shall be substantially equal to new rail and joint conditions.

The illustrations selected are intended to show examples only, which are practical and eifective but which have been chosen primarily because of their value in illustrating the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of two rail ends placed as in a joint having splice bars.

Figures 2-8 are cross sections of rail joints showing contacts of splice bars with differently paired upper and lower rail fishing surface contacts. The fishing surfaces paired are at different lateral distances from the vertical rail axes, without regard to whether or not the fishing surfaces be located at different distances also along the lengths of the rails.

Figures 9 and 10 are side elevations of rail joints showing splice bars capable of being substituted, one for the other, in which the fishing surfaces engaged by the splice bars are located at difierent distances in the one figure as compared with those in the other along the lengths of the rail and without regard to whether or not the distances laterally from the vertical rail axes be the same.

Figure 11 is a cross section such as would be true equally if taken in the positions of line lll| of Figure 9 or line |l--il of Figure 10 if the lateral spacing of the fishing surfaces from the vertical rail axes be the same and be at the distances shown in Figure 4.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of rails such as are shown in Figure l but with unequal bolt.

spacing.

Figures 13 and 14 are side elevations of rails such as shown in Figure 12 after being cropped.

Figures 15 and 16 are side elevations of rails such as are shown in Figure 1 after cropping in joints formed by new splice bars of the same type as had previously been applied, shown making joints wtih new rail surfaces and using the splice bars generally like those of Figure 9 in Figure 15, and like those of Figure 10 in Figure 16.

In Figure 1 I have shown rail ends 2. and II of a worn rail joint, the rails intended to be identical except that with travel in the direction indicated by the arrow the upper edge of .he

approach rail head is much battered at 22 and the upper edge of the head ofthe trailing end is less battered at 23. Both rails are assumed to have worn upper and lower rail fishing surfaces corresponding with the condition of the approach head at least in that it has ceased to be commercially economical to maintain the joint because of the combined batter of the rails and wear or the fishing surfaces.

In this figure are shown three bolt holes in each rail having equal spacing of the bolt holes within the rails and across the joint. This is standard A. R. E. A. practice and a six bolt joint is a standard joint but, aselsewhere indicated, the present invention is independent of whether the bolt holes be initially uniformly spaced or not and is applicable to four-bolt as well as to sixbolt joints.

In Figure 12 standard spacing for one of the large railway companies is shown for the purpose of indicating merely that the bolt hole distance across the joint is different from the bolt 1. hole spacings of the first from the second and the second from the third bolt holes respectively which latter are also different from each other.

Figures 1 and 12 and the cropping based upon retention of the bolt holes with or without elon- 1| gation of one bolt hole are based upon the idea that it is desirable to avoid or reduce bolt hole drilling, but with recognition of the fact thatcropping can be placed upon the basis of thelength of rail which it is desired to leave while 2. using as much of the joint-worn ends of the rails 'as possible, disregarding the old bolt hole positions in the new joint except insofar as it may be advisable to avoid having the old bolt holes come in undesirable locations, too close 'to the new 21 bolt holes or too close to the ends of the rails. The discussion regarding substitution of new splice bars in joints of cropped rails retaining part of the splice bar worn lengths of the rails and attempting to use one or more of the old 3 bolt holes is based also upon the thought that it will prove desirable to use splice bars which have bolt spacing corresponding to the bolt hole spacing in the original joints.

Where the desirability of use of the old bolt 3- holes as far as possible is considered paramount and the spacing of the bolt holes is initially different, one spacing from another, splice bars can be used which depart from the spacing of the holes in the initial joints to accommodate the l spacing of the bolt holes in the cropped rail end. The invention is thus capable of accommodation to the different preferences and practices of the engineers in charge of construction and repair upon the different railroads.

The splice bars 24, 25 (one only shown) in dash and dot lines are intended to represent any splice bars capable of engaging new rail fishing surface in the joint-worn remainder after cropping and may make contact at any of the posi- El tions shown for example in Figures 2 to 8, depending upon what rail fishing surface contact; had been used previously and for which a new splice bar of one of the other forms can be substituted to make entirely new contacts in the second joint to be formed. It is the intention that any of these substitutions to secure two new fishing surface contacts with the rail may be used in any of the new joints formed, using either laterally different spacing or longitudinally different spacing of the contacts.

Battering of the rail head arises from two main causes. The first is that the necessity for spacing the rail ends in the joint during use in cofdest weather to provide room for expansion in the joint allows the wheels of passing trains to dip into thisspace, rolling off from the trailing rail head and striking with additional force (on account of the lower position of the wheel) against the advancing or facing rail head, with the result that the trailing rail head is injured slightly because of the lack of support of the metal at the extreme end of the head but the advancing rail head is battered by the impact.

The second main cause of batter is the loosenten rails.

ing of the rail joint. When the joint is loosened the distance to which the wheels are allowed to drop at-the joint is greatly increased by the fact that the trailing rail is allowed to depress with respect to the advancing rail head, adding the drop due to the depression to the drop due to the spacing of therail heads and thus greatly accentuating the impact and the effect of the impact'upon the advancing rail head edge;

The deteriorating condition of the rail joint is probably the largest factor in rail head batter and, for this. reason, the difficulty ,in renewing the rail joint effectively offers the greatest objection to welding the rail to supply the place of the material disturbed by the batter. Excessive batter and bad joints go together.

When the rail head batter becomes great enough to make it undesirable to continue the rail in service one of three means of taking care of the situation presents itself: (1) to withdraw the rail from main track service and use it in secondary service where the speeds will be much lower and the effect of batter will be less objectionable; (2) to weld metal upon the end of the rail to build up the upper edge of the head of the rail to substantially its original condition; or, (3) to crop the rail.

Unless it be possible to make a splice bar join for the welded rail capable of holding the rail ends togetherproperly, welding is undesirable and unnecessary. On the other hand, side track and allied secondary service cannot absorb any appreciable proportion of the rails which have become battered too far to allow them to remain in the main track. Cropping is therefore the now general practice.

The present invention is intended to be applied in those circumstances in which cropping is considered necessary .and is intended to avoid excessive loss of rail length due to the cropping, admittedly losing or reducing one merit made of necessity in the existing cropping practice. With a 33 foot rail, for example, at the present time each end-of the rail is cropped 18 inches, 9. total of 3 feet to the rail length, so that eleven rails will fit into the space previously occupied by Partial cropping will not fit in with replacement in so short a distance.

The present cropping contemplates in general practice cutting ofi the entire splice-bar-worn or joint-worn length of contact from both ends of the rail; which may be a recognition of the necessity for securing new rail fishing surfaces for splice bar contact rather than a means for taking care of rail head hammer. This is particularly true because the rail head hammer is likely to be very much more serious on the approach end of the rail than on the trailing end of the rail, with the result that, so far as rail head hammer is concerned, the cropping at the trailing rail head is usually much less needed than at the approaching rail head.

If rail head hammer alone be considered, the solution would seem to be rather by reversing the positions of the ends of the rails so as'to make the less seriously injured former trailing rail heads receivethe hammer of the wheels. which becomes feasible with the'present provision for new joint fishing engagement.

enough to bring the second bolt hole of the rail to the position previously occupied by the end bolt hole, and permissibly very much less than this extent.

The invention contemplates cropping one-or both if they need it-rail ends, when cropping is required, to an extent which will overcome the rail head batter, with or without use of the remaining existing rail bolt holes, and renewing the splice bar joint by new or re-formed splice bars making engagement with unworn rail surfaces so that the exposed rail head edge and the joint shall both approximate new rail and joint conditions. The new contact surfaces may be secured by splice bars making contact at different distances laterally from the vertical rail axes, in which case the rail splice bars must be of different contact characteristics from the original splice bars, or may make contact at spaced areas only, along the length of the original rail but at different and hence at unworn areas.

For convenience in description the bolt holes initially=within the rail for a six bolt joint have been numbered 26, 21, 28, 29, 30, 3| and locations of new bolt holes, where cropping has been arranged to leave the old second and third bolt holes 28 and 30, 29 and 3| in position for use after cropping, are shown at 32 and 33.

For convenience in reference also the upper and lower rail fishing surfaces have'been split up into areas of contact with which splice bars can make successive engagement so that the new engagement with any one of the three contact areas indicated will find an unworn surface after wear of one of the other two areas in a preceding joint.

The sub-division into three areas is arbitrary for'the reason that the extent of area first engaged in the initial joint may be large enough to permit but one other fresh surface of engagement, or small enough to permit division into more than three prospective areas. The three areas selected above and three below comprise.

areas 34, 36 and 38 and also the areas 35, 31 and 39 are a different lateral distances or spacing from the vertical axes 40 of the rails.

From the standpoint of past and further use of the rail ends, the different portions of the ends involved might be distinguished as the entire joint-worn, length A of the rail-end which was included within the original joint, the cropped end B comprising the portion of the joint-worn end which is removed by cropping, the remaining (major) part C of the joint-worn rail end A left after cropping at any point 4| and the new joint end comprising the uncropped joint-worn portion C of the end A of the rail plus the new adjoining part D of the rail which has not previously been joint-worn but which is included in.the new joint formed and which is equal in length to the portion B removed by cropping.

The present invent-ion contemplates making splice bar contact of the idenical character with the uncropped joint-worn port-ion of the end C that ismade with the new portion 1), in its preferred form, against wholly unworn upper and lower rail splice bar surfaces throughout the length of the joint.

In Figure 1 the spacing between the bolt holes is intended to be uniform, including the spacing between the end bolt holes and across the gap between the rails. For this reason after cropping,,the planes at which the rails are cropped shown at 4| will be located the same distance from the second bolt holes 28 and 29 as the ends of the rails are distant from the first bolt holes before cropping. For'the same reason the spacing between bolt holes 30 and .32 in one rail and 3| and 33 in the other rail will be equal to that between existing adjoining bolt holes. As previously indicated the splice bar 24 in dot and dash in Figure 1 is shown generally rather than with reference to any of the cross sections shown in Figures 2-8. There is good reason for this because these Figures 2-8 do not pretend to give all of the different combinations by which new fishing surfaces may be engaged by successive pairs of splice bars.

In Figure 2 top and bottom fishing engagement is had with fillet surfaces covering the range 38 and 39 in the figure and vertical stretching of the splice bars is relied upon to take up wear. The splice bars 24-, 25 are bowed at 42, 43 for this reason. All the bars are held in place by bolts 44.

In Figure 3 splice bars 24 25 engage with intermediate fishing surfaces 36 and 31 at top and bottom respectively. These are also bowed at 45, 46 and may be made thin enough at these points to gain some advantage from vertical stretching of the bars.

' In Figure 4 engagement of bars 24 and 25 is made with outer fishing surfaces 34 and 35 at top and bottom.

It will be noted that thus far a set of three 4.0 different and distinct splice bars have been indicated capable of interchange one for either other to provide an original joint and two successive substitute joints having all of the characteristics of new joints in that new or reformed sub- 4i; stitute splice bars in the successive joints will engage with wholly unwom fishing surfaces upon the basis purely of engaging fishing surfaces at different distances from the vertical rail axes 40.

In Figures 5-8 the changes permissible with 50 headfree and base-free splice bars have been indicated showing that the head-free bars 24 and 25 of Figures 5 and'6 can at their lower ends engage alternatively not only with the fillets as in Figure 2 but with intermediate splice bar 55 surfaces 31 or with outer fishing surfaces 35. Likewise the base-free splice bars 24 25, 24. 25 of Figures 7 and eat their upper ends can engage not only with the fillets as in Figure 2 but. with intermediate fishing surfaces 236 or with 60 outer fishing surfaces The splice bar joint of the 5 can he substi successive joints Wholly surface engagements the In. F "es 9 and. if

25 not shown) to form another set of splice bars capable of use loy'or for one another on either cropped or uncropped rails to afford two separate and distinct splice bar joints engaging wholly different fishingsurfaces upon the rails.

Since these are dependent'upon differences in longitudinal spacing instead of differences in spacing laterally from the vertical rail axes, they 5 are in no way inconsistent with the-use of successively different lateral spacing with either or with both'of them to much increase the number of possible successive joints which can be. formed providing wholly new rail fishing surfaces for 10 each of the successive joints. For example the longitudinal spacing of Figure 9'or longitudinal spacing of Figure 10can be used with any of the successive changes in lateral spacing shown in Figures 2-4 or 5-8 or suggested in connection 15 50, 49 and 50' and leaving the area at the extreme ends of the rail between points 50 and 25 points 50' on the two rails and at an intermediate portion between the points48 and 49, 48 and 49' on each rail free from wear. Likewise in the form of Figure 10, if different lateral spacings of the fishing surfaces be relied upon for the 30 successive joints before cropping, the rails are worn between points 5| and 52 and 5! and 52 and on both rails at the ends between points 53 and between the points 53.

If the rails be cropped at any points such as 35 54 in Figure 9 and 55 in Figure 10, it will be evident that the worn surface between 49 and 50, 49 and 50' in Figure 9, or between points 53 on the two rails and points 53' on the'two rails (Figure 10), will be cut off in the cropping and 40 that the advance of the railsafter cropping to form the joint, if new bars of the same type be used, in each case will bring new contact surfaces in position for engagement by the new bars. Thus in Figure 9 if the rails be cropped at the line 54, the unworn surfaces of the rail between the line 54 and points 48 and 48' in the existing rails will be at the end of the rail where contacts 56 and 56' of the splice bar will engage these unwom rail surfaces, and the advance of 50 the rail due to the cropping will bring new rail surfaces into position to be engaged by the con tacts 51 and 51 of the new splice bar of the same type as shown in Figure 9.

Applying the same thing to Figure 10, the cropping of the rails will remove the worn fishing surfaces at the extreme ends of the rails and will bring to these positions the unwom fishing surfaces of the rails lying between lines 55 and the points 52 and 52' in each case. Contacts 53, 30 Evil will thus be had with fresh surfaces upon the cropped rail.

position to be engag new splice her be of i fetv lateral rail tact can be i arrangements which do cooperate in part at least with existing bolt holes in order to show accommodation to differently spaced bolt holes such as is shown in these figures. Here the bolt holes 26 and 21 are initially spaced differently from the spacing between bolt holes 26 and 28', 21 and 28' and both are shown-as spaced differently from the bolt holes 28 and 30', 29' and 3|, with the result that cropping may take place at 60, for example, to use the original second bolt hole in the precise position of the original first and to elongate the third bolt hole-to take the place of the second, or merely show an additional bolt hole 3 I to supply the second bolt hole position, as in the rail at the right in Figure 13; or if the rails be cut at the third bolt hole can be used unchanged for the second bolt hole, as in Figure 14,- with elongation of the second bolt hole M3 to take the first bolt hole position as at the left in Figure 14, or with separate bolt hole 293 to take the first bolt hole position as at the right in this figure.

In Figure 15 a splice bar is shown upon rails which have been cropped and in which additional bolt holes 32', 33' have been drilled. The splice-bar-worn rail fishing surface has been indicated as between points 41 and 48, 41' and 48', to show that they lie between rail areas with which initial contact had been made when the same type of splice bars had been applied before, and that all the rest of the cropped rail fishing surface is unworn.

The same freedom-for engagement with new fishing surfaces is true in Figure 16, in which, after cropping, the only remaining previously worn fishing surfaces of the cropped rails are shown as between points 5| and 52, 5| and 52', all the rest of the rail fishing surfaces being unworn.

It will be understood that where the character of splice bar used before and after cropping has made fishing engagement with the rail throughout the length of the joint, the new joint after cropping must engage fishing surfaces of the rail at different lateral distances from the vertical axes of the rail than the surfaces previously engaged.

It will be evident that the splice bars shown in Figures 9, 10 15 and 16 may be of any character desired in so far as concerns the lateral distances from the vertical rail axes to the fishing surfaces of the rail engaged by them and that Figure 11 is not therefore intended to represent the necessary cross section even of these showings since Figure 11 is taken of a specific form of such a joint at a position merely corresponding to the section lines there shown.

Several different longitudinal spacings corresponding in part to Figures 9 and 10 and a number of different permissible lateral spacings of the fishing surfaces engaged corresponding generally with Figures 2 to 8 have been shownand described in their individual relations to the joints in my Patent No. 1,967,509 in which connection the joints formed have been discussed at greater length than in the present application. For this further discussion reference is made to the said patent. Suffice it here to say that it is the intention to provide partial rail cropping in combination with new joints which avoid engagement of the splice bars used with the previously worn rail fishing surfaces upon the lengths of splice-bar-worn rails which have not been cropped.

It will be evident that the re-formed joint consplice bars with the remaining (worn) fishing surfaces of the rails, increasing the importance of new fishing surface engagements of the splice w bars with the original lengths of rails which had been in the previous joint.

While a portion of my invention can be secured by forming a new surface of engagement between the splice bars and the rails at the top or 15 at the bottom but not both, it will be evident that the complete benefit of the-invention will not be secured unless the surfaces of contact be predominantly new both at the top and at the bottom since if the surfaces of engagement be worn at 20 either top or bottom the reformed joint starts out with either the upper or lower edge having the elements of weakness present at the start which led to the ineffectiveness of the preceding joint and with part of the normal take up for the splice 25 bars already worn away, restricting the take up and/or deepening the groove where wear takes place.

It will be evident that the extent of cropping of the rails may be made just suflicient to re- 30 movethe portion of the end rails showing the effects of 'rail batter, where there is no thought of putting the rails back in the same trackage, or of any trackage having any standard rail length, or may be made great enough to permit a pre- ,5 determined number of cropped rails to be inserted within the space left by a smaller number of uncropped rails, or that the extent of cropping may be determined by any other outside'factors,

such as the use or avoidance of use of the original 40 bolt holes.

It will further be evident that splice bars having spaced contacts along the lengths of the rails can be used for two or more successive joints upon the original rail ends making con- 5 tact in the successive joints at different distances from the vertical rail axes with subequent cropping and with two or more subsequent splice bar joints using splice bars identical with the original splice bars in the spacing along the 50 rail lengths, engaging with wholly unworn fishing surfaces on the rails and having engagement in successive joints with rail fishing surfaces at different distances from the vertical rail axes.

It will be further evident that if differences in to lateral spacing from the rail axes of the fishing surfaces successivelyengaged by the splice bars be alone relied upon, at least three joints can be made, one or two with the original rail ends and two or one with the partially cropped rail ends, 60 to whatever distances cropped, all of the splice bar engagements being with wholly new rail fishing surfaces.

It is evident that a rail end originally forming a part of a six bolt rail joint after cropping can be included in a four bolt rail joint, making substantially its entire fishing engagement with that part; of the length of the rail end originally within theprevious joint and which remains uncropped; as no part of the unused length of the rail need then .be included in the new joint or that a four bolt joint can be followed by a six bolt joint, using new fishing surfaces.

V It will be evident that the inclusion of partially cropped rails within the rail Joints according to 76 my invention is in no way dependent upon having them included in the same joint with other partially cropped rails, as it makes no difference in the effect in the joint whether the second rail be partially cropped also or new.

It is evident that while I have shown contact between the splice bar and the rail head at a plurality of opposite points on each rail at the top and at the bottom, it is not essential that contact be had at the bottom at a point corresponding to contact at the top, or that contact be had at the top at a point corresponding to contact at the bottom. Much variation in the combinations of contacting areas in a given splice bar is possible and is known in the art to which my invention is applicable.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patout is:

1. The method of eleminating rail head batter and at the same time retaining a large part of the splice-bar-worn length of the used rail end, which consists in cropping a part only of the splice-bar-worn end of the rail and in joining the rail to another rail by splice bars having substantially their entire fishing engagement with the rail at rail surfaces which are not worn.

2. The method of forming successive rail joints with new rail fishing surfaces with intermediate cropping of the rails, which consists in forming aninitial joint, in cropping a portion only of the end of a rail which was included in the initial joint and in forming a new joint having fishing surface engagements with the uncropped joint-worn portion of this rail end substantially entirely different from the fishing surfaces engaged in the initial joint, the differences being in lateral position with respect to the vertical rail axes.

3. The method of forming successive rail joints with new rail fishing surfaces with intermediate cropping of the rails, which consists in forming an initial joint, in cropping a portion only of the end of a rail which was included in the initial joint and in forming a new joint having fishing surface engagements with the uncropped joint-worn portion of this rail end substantially entirely different from the fishing surfaces engaged in the initial joint, the differences being in longitudinal positions with respect to the original rail end.

4. The method of forming successive railjoints with new rail fishing surfaces with intermediate cropping of the rails, which consists in forming an initial joint, in cropping a portion only of the end of a rail which was included in the initial joint and in forming a new joint having fishing surface engagements with the uncropped joint-worn portion of this rail end substantially entirely different from the fishing surfaces engaged in the initial joint, the differences being in longitudinal position with respect to the original rail end and in lateral spacing from the vertical rail axes.

5. The method of saving rails from excessive cutting, which consists in cropping a part only of the joint-worn end or a rail after previous with respect to the vertical rail axes, the successive contacts all engaging the rail at fishing surfaces spaced along the length of the rail ends,

in cropping the rail for a part only of the portion included in the original joint to remove anend of the rail carrying the worn fishing surfaces nearest to the end of the rail and to bring unworn fishing surfaces into corresponding position with respect to the new end of the rail and in forming a new joint having rail fishing surface engagements at the unworn fishing surfaces near the end of the rail and also at unworn surfaces spaced therefrom along the length of the rails.

. 7. The method of securing new rail fishing engagements for successive joints of a rail before and after cropping while retaining part of the joint-worn rail end uncropped, which consists in making rail fishing engagements of the in-'30 itial joint within the portion which is ultimately cropped and also at a distance therefrom lengthwise of the rail which provides unworn rail fishing engagements between points corresponding in distance from the end of the cropped rail with those in the rail end removed by cropping, in cropping the rail to bring the unworn rail fishing surfaces into position for contact corresponding to the initial contact and in forming a new joint having engagement with rail fishing surfaces at 40 distances from the end of the rail corresponding to the original engagements.

8. The method of forming successive rail joints before and after partial rail cropping which consists in forming successive rail joints before cropping, differing in lateral rail fishing surface distance from the vertical rail axes and in each joint comprising contactsspaced along the length of the rail to leave a wholly unwomfishing surface between the spaced contacts, in cropping the rail to remove a part only of the end of the rail within the previous joints and to bring the unworn intermediate rail fishing surfaces into the position previously occupied by the worn fishing surfaces removed by cropping and in forming a 55 new joint having contacts at spaced distances along the rail end engaging unworn rail fishing surfaces between those previously worn and on an adjoining section of the rail not included in the original joint.

9. The method of utilizing maximum length of joint worn rail head battered rail requiring cropping, which consists in cropping the rail between two of the original bolt holes at a point permitting use of one of the original bolt holes as a bolt hole of a new joint, in applying splice bars to form said joint, making substantially the entire fishing engagement with the remaining joint-worn portion of the rail and along unworn rail fishing surfaces.

10. The method of forming a new joint of a cropped rail with another rail while using part of the splice-bar-worn end of the cropped rail, which consists in using initially, in the joint in whicll the cropped rail is used, splice bars mak- 76 aoamae ing contact at intervals along the lengths of the rail ends, in cropping one rail to a distance such that the cropped rail when moved up intoits new joint position has unwom surfaces corresponding in position along the rail length to the contact surfaces of the previous joint and in replacing the former splice bars by unworn splice bars making contacts in substantially the same positions along the length of the cropped rail as along the length of the rail before it was cropped.

11. The method of cropping a rail and forming a new joint between it and another rail to retain as much of the length of the rail as possible and secure a good joint, which consists in cropping the end of the rail for a part only of the portion included in the original joint and uniting'it and the other rail by splice bars making substantially their entire contact with the cropped rail at unworn fishing surfaces at a different lateral distance from vertical rail axes than the contacts of the previous joint.

12. A partially cropped rail having worn fishing surfaces from a rail joint which embraced uncropped portions of the rail end before cropping, in combination with a pair of splice bars engaging the uncropped portions of the rail ends at fishing surfaces which are entirely unworn from the previous joint.

13. A rail cropped for a portion of the length included within a previous rail joint, combination with splice bars engaging substantially unworn portions of the rail along the uncropped portions included in the original joint and engaging an additional adjoining unworn length of the rail and engaging fishing surfaces of the uncropped joint portion of the rail corresponding to those engaged in the adjoining part thereof.

14. A pair of rails one of them cropped and having remaining after the cropping worn fishing surfaces representing the length left, after cropping, of a previous joint, in combination with splice bars joining the rails, engaging the fishing surfaces of the jointworn rail end at places laterally of the vertical rail axes wholly different from the joint-worn rail surfaces.

15. A pair of rail ends adjoining for a joint, one of the rail ends partly cropped and having 16. A partially cropped rail having worn and 10, 'unworn surfaces within the length originally within the previous joint, a second rail and splice bars making engagement with both rails and en- I gagingthe cropped rail at the unworn surfaces within the original previous joint.

17. A cropped rail having lengthwise of the rail unworn fishing surfaces and at a greater distance from the end of the rail worn fishing surfaces, a second rail"and splice bars forming a joint with the rail having engagement with the 2 said unworn fishing surfaces.

18. A cropped rail having lengthwise of the rail unworn fishing surfaces and at a greater distance from the end of the rail worn fishing surfaces, a second rail and splice bars forming a joint with the rail having engagement with the said unworn fishing surfaces and engagement also with the rail at a greater distance from the end of the rail than said worn surfaces.

19. A used rail partially cropped to bring the 0 original second bolt hole into position corresponding substantially with the original first bolt hole and having an uncropped portion opposite the bolt hole worn from previous joint engagement and an unworn portion between the bolt holes, a second rail and splice bars engaging the cropped rail between the bolt holes and free therefrom opposite the bolt holes.

20. A used rail partially cropped to bring the original second bolt hole into position corresponding substantially with the original first bOlL hole, having the uncropped portion worn between the bolt holes from previous joint engagement but unworn opposite the bolt holes, a second rail and splice bars engaging the cropped rail opposite the bolt holes. I

WILLIAM STEELL JACKSON. 

